Archive for June, 2014

Tomorrow, June 4, 2014, is National Running Day. I haven’t had time to blog here in awhile, but NRD gets bigger every year, and this year, it has a great chance to gain a national media presence. The second Running Boom, as measured by Running USA, has patterned the trajectory of social media engagement for Joe and Jane Runner, hometown Anywhere, USA.

The National Running Day organizers have a pretty cool campaign that asks you to tell us why YOU run. Here’s the logo:

As I thought about what National Running Day means to me, one of the first things that came into my mind was all the cool places that running has taken me over the years and especially in the last year. In the last calendar year, I have had the joy of running:

1. Through Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite National Park, where I saw deer and a clearing rainstorm over beautiful Mirror Lake.

Mirror Lake with clearing storm.

Yosemite Valley deer.

2. In Taos, New Mexico, where I ran past historic adobe residences and enjoyed the view of snow-capped mountains.

4. On the fire roads above Catalina Island, where I spotted a native Island Fox and found myself high on a hilltop, with even the clouds below me.

Catalina Island, Avalon view.

5. Along Waikiki Beach and all the way to Diamond Head, the iconic volcano that makes up Oahu’s pinnacle view.

Waikiki Beach, Sept. 2013.

6. In Monterey, Calif., home to several of the state’s most scenic marathons and half-marathons.

Monterey Half Marathon, November 2013.

7. In San Diego, Calif., home to 2014 Boston Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi.

8. In the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Calif., my hometown and a much-loved destination for runners and cyclists alike.

9. In Cambria, Calif, along the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk, just south of William Randolph Hearst’s famous Hearst Castle.

10. In San Luis Obispo, Calif, through the vineyards of the Edna Valley and through the historic downtown.

Running is heralded as a sport that you can take anywhere, and my experience certainly manifests that reality. Where will running take you in the year ahead, and how will you celebrate National Running Day?